truTV Exec and Talent Bios

Panelist and Executive Bios

A prolific actress, author, comedian and rabbit educator, Amy Sedaris (@AHWAS) has appeared often on screen, both large and small. She is the co-creator, with Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello, of the hit cult comedy series Strangers with Candy and half of the Obie-winning "Talent Family" playwright team (with her brother, David). She is also the author of two best-selling books, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence and Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. She is also the co-creator (with Dinello), star and executive producer of At Home with Amy Sedaris, a comedy series that recently earned its first Emmy® Award nomination in the Outstanding Variety Sketch category and will premiere its second season in February 2019.

Cole Escola, guest stars on truTV's At Home with Amy Sedaris

Cole Escola (@ColeEscola) , a comedian, actor, and writer, was named one of the 2014 OUT 100 and Time Out New York's Top Ten Downtown Cabaret Performers. Most notably, Cole played ‘Matthew’ on Hulu’s Difficult People where he also served as a writer. He played ‘Chris” on MAN Seeking Woman on FXX, and recurred on the Netflix series Girl Boss, Amazon’s Mozart In The Jungle and the truTV series At Home With Amy Sedaris, for which he was also a staff writer. Cole wrote on the Broadway Video series The Other Two for Comedy Central. He was also the co-creator, writer, and star of the lo-fi cult-hit TV show Jeffrey and Cole Casserole. Other TV appearances include Nurse Jackie, Law and Order, and Smash. He originated the role of Bridget Everett's fetus in Rock Bottom for The Public Theater in a performance Variety referred to as "heroic." His sketch comedy show, The First Gay President sold out every performance and generated buzz and praise from the likes of PAPER Magazine and Lena Dunham. Due to overwhelming demand last year, his wildly popular solo show, Help! I’m Stick! extended its residency run at Joe’s Pub in NY, then made its way west for a sold-out run in Los Angeles. You can next find Cole on tour, taking his show most recent Joe’s Pub show, Quick! Pretend I’m Asleep! to cities across the country.

Kevin Heffernan, stars on truTV's Tacoma FD

Writer, actor, producer and director Kevin Heffernan (@HeffernanRules) is a member of the five-man comedy troupe Broken Lizard. Heffernan co-wrote and co-starred in their cult-hit films Super Troopers, Puddle Cruiser, Club Dread, Beerfest, Broken Lizard Stands Up and the newly released Fox Searchlight film, Super Troopers 2. He made his directorial debut on the Broken Lizard film The Slammin’ Salmon.

In addition to Broken Lizard films, Heffernan co-wrote and co-starred in the film remake of The Dukes of Hazzard. He has starred in such films as Sky High, Strange Wilderness and The Babymakers and has appeared on the television shows Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Goldbergs, Veep, How I Met Your Mother and Workaholics.

Heffernan also tours the country performing stand up. His first stand-up concert special, Fat Man Little Boy, premiered on Netflix in 2013. His second venture with Steve Lemme, Below the Belt, premiered on Comedy Central in 2016 and he just completed filming on The Potential Farewell Tour, which will be released in December 2018. Additionally, Heffernan hosts a weekly podcast with Steve Lemme called Chewin' it w/ Kevin & Steve.

Steve Lemme, stars on truTV's Tacoma FD

Writer, actor and producer Steve Lemme (@stevelemme) is a founding member of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard. Lemme co-wrote and co-starred in their cult-hit films Super Troopers, Beerfest, Puddle Cruiser, Club Dread and The Slammin’ Salmon, as well as film remake of The Dukes of Hazzard and the newly released Fox Searchlight film, Super Troopers 2.

Lemme’s first stand-up concert special, Fat Man Little Boy, premiered on Netflix in 2013. His second stand-up concert film with Kevin Heffernan, Below the Belt, premiered on Comedy Central in 2016. He just completed filming on The Potential Farewell Tour, which will be released in December 2018.

Currently, Lemme is developing two feature films: The Breakdance Battle of Dusty River, for Lionsgate Studios, and Bring Your Kids to Work Day, for Chernin Entertainment. Additionally, Lemme hosts a weekly podcast with Kevin Heffernan called Chewin' it w/ Kevin & Steve.

Hassie Harrison, stars on truTV's Tacoma FD

Hassie Harrison (@HassieHarrison) is a Texas native who spent the majority of her life on stage. One of Harrison’s very first roles was in Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savages’ CW hit series, Hart of Dixie. She then appeared on Savage’s The Astronaut Wives Club followed by her first series regular role on the ABC pilot Chunk & Bean, playing Anna Gunn and Andy Daly’s daughter. In independent film, Harrison starred in Dementia, opposite Gene Jones, Southbound and Fat Camp. Next up, she plays Mazie Wells in The Iron Orchard, based on the legendary novel which tells the story of a wildcatter in the West Texas oil fields of 1939. She also just wrapped the lead female role in science-fiction adventure comedy Max Reloadand the Nether Blasters opposite Kevin Smith. Harrison is repped by TalentWorks, Zero Gravity Management and Advantage PR.

On television, Cordero recurs on The Good Place and Season 2 of TBS’ Wrecked. Additional credits include Veep, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Making History, Parks and Recreation, Key and Peel, House of Lies and Drunk History. Cordero also booked a series regular role opposite Craig Ferguson in NBC’s hybrid game show/comedy pilot Crunch Time. Cordero is a regular performer and veteran at UCB.

Gabriel Hogan, stars on truTV's Tacoma FD

Canadian actor Gabriel Hogan (@Hoganfilm) has appeared in over 300 episodes of television and over 45 feature films. His break in American cinema came in 2004 when he was cast opposite Charlize Theron as British officer Julian Ellsworth in the wartime drama Head in the Clouds. Hogan’s most recent episodic work includes nearly 10 seasons of Canada’s hit series Heartland, recurring roles on Paramount’s Condor and Netflix’s new comedy series Prince of Peoria. Hogan resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Inga Cadranel, and their 2 children.

Marcus Henderson, stars on truTV's Tacoma FD

Marcus Henderson is a St. Louis native whose first job out of Yale School of Drama was Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning drama Django Unchained. His feature film credits include Whiplash, in which he starred opposite Miles Teller and JK Simmons, Get Out, where he played Walter the Groundskeeper, and the Netflix feature Juanita, opposite Alfre Woodard. Henderson also recurred on the FX drama Snowfall and Lebron James-produced Starz series Survivor's Remorse. Marcus can currently be seen in Amazon's Homecoming opposite Julia Roberts and Bobby Cannavale.

Chris Linn, President of truTV

Chris Linn serves as President of truTV. In his role, he is responsible for leading the strategic direction and core creative and business functions of the network, including the development and production of original programs and oversight of all marketing and digital initiatives as well as strategic planning for truTV. Linn is based in New York and reports to David Levy, President of Turner.

Since joining truTV in August 2013, Linn has successfully navigated the network through an extensive brand and programming evolution that has transformed truTV into a comedy network with a distinct point of view. Under his direction, the new truTV was launched in 2014 and now includes a portfolio of creator-driven series including the Emmy®-nominated variety sketch series At Home with Amy Sedaris, Adam Ruins Everything, I’m Sorry, Jon Glaser Loves Gear, The Carbonaro Effect and Those Who Can’t, among others.

Under his direction, the network has also built its flagship original series Impractical Jokers into a fan-favorite, multi-platform juggernaut which through seven seasons remains one of the highest-rated original comedy series on cable and will soon debut its first-ever feature film, produced by Funny Or Die. As a result of this brand refresh, truTV today is programming premium comedic content that is delivering consistent ratings growth, significant engagement and attracting younger, more desirable audiences.

Linn came to truTV after serving as Executive Vice President of Programming and Head of Production for MTV. During his tenure, Linn helped develop and oversee the production of some of MTV's biggest hits, including the hugely-popular series Jersey Shore and its successful spin-off, Snooki & JWOWW. More recently, he led the team that developed the 2012 hit Catfish and launched Ke$ha: My Crazy andBeautiful Life. In addition, Linn oversaw the development of movies like DisConnected, Made: The Movie and My Super Psycho Sweet 16.

Prior to MTV, Linn held various positions at Nickelodeon and Spike TV, where he oversaw production on original series, pilots and specials and production management for marketing.

Linn is a member of the executive board of the New York Television Festival. A native of Orlando, Florida, he earned a bachelor’s degree in theater arts from the University of Florida, College of Fine Arts.

Marissa Ronca, Executive Vice President, Head of Original Programming and Development of truTV

Marissa Ronca serves as Executive Vice President, Head of Original Programming & Development for truTV. In this role, she is responsible for the network's diverse slate of original programming from concept through production. Ronca is based in New York and reports to Chris Linn, President of truTV.

Since being named to her current position in January 2016, Ronca has worked closely with Linn to successfully evolve truTV into a premium comedy brand by completely transforming its original programming slate to include a mix of comedic formats and distinct programs with creators at the center. truTV has put significant resources behind reshaping its brand, turning over a slate of more than 30 new projects in development which led to greenlights on a diverse portfolio of shows that include series such asImpractical Jokers, Adam Ruins Everything,The Carbonaro Effect, Paid Off with Michael Torpey and scripted series I’m Sorry and At Home with Amy Sedaris.

Ronca previously served as senior vice president of program development at truTV. She joined the network (then known as Court TV) in 2007 and was a key player in its transformation into truTV in 2008. As vice president of program development, she headed up the development team responsible for creating a complete roster of hit shows at the time, including the network’s lasting hit Impractical Jokers, which remains as truTV’s longest-running original series juggernaut which through seven seasons remains one of the highest-rated original comedy series on cable and will soon debut its first-ever feature film, produced by Funny Or Die.

Before coming to truTV, Ronca was director of development at TLC and Discovery Home Channel, where she was part of a team responsible for cultivating the successful series Little People, Big World, LA Ink and Say Yes to the Dress.Ronca began her career with Discovery Communications Inc., working in production and development for Discovery Onboard/VOD and Discovery Networks International. In 2005, Ronca left Discovery and joined Brainbox Productions, an independent production company where she developed, wrote and produced original programming for such networks as HGTV, Style, Discovery and Court TV.

Ronca’s film work includes executive-producing the feature Crazy Sexy Cancer and producing the 2006 independent scripted feature The Guatemalan Handshake. Ronca is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. She currently serves as a mentor with the Junior Membership of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society (JHRTS).

About truTV

truTV is the home for original, creator-driven comedy series with a distinct point of view. With millions of engaged fans across linear, digital and social channels, the cable network features a growing roster of critically-acclaimed premium scripted, non-scripted and hybrid series, such as Adam Ruins Everything, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Bobcat Goldthwait’s Misfits & Monsters, Hack My Life, I’m Sorry, Impractical Jokers, Jon Glaser Loves Gear, The Carbonaro Effect, Those Who Can’tand more. As a division of Turner, truTV is also a partner in airing the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship each year.

Turner, a WarnerMedia company, is a global entertainment, sports and news company that creates premium content and delivers exceptional experiences to fans whenever and wherever they consume content. These efforts are fueled by data-driven insights and industry-leading technology. Turner owns and operates some of the most valuable brands in the world, including Adult Swim, Bleacher Report, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, ELEAGUE, Great Big Story, HLN, iStreamPlanet, TBS, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), TNT, truTV and Turner Sports.